John mackey



(No Model.) 2 Sheets--Sheet 1.

J. MAGKEY. STEEET SWEEPING MACHINE.

No. 457,555. Patented Jan. 25, 1892..

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(No Model.)

J. MACKEY. STREET SWEEPING MACHINE.

No. 467,555. Patented Jan. 2.6, l892 FQ. f.

'THE :mums paens co., murmumo., wAsnwcYoN, D. c;y

,A UNITED STATES PATENT GEEICE.

JonN MAoKEY, or NEW roux, N. Y.

STREET-swEl-:PING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent No. 467,555, dated January26, 1892.

Application filed February 20, 1891. Serial No. 382,144. (No model.)

T0 all whom 15 77u52/ concern.:

.Be it known that I, JOHN MAGKEY, of the city, county, and State of NewYork, have in-` vented certain new and useful Improvements` 1nStreet-Sweeping Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following isa full and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,making a part of this specification.

My'invention relates to the construction of machlnes for sweeping thestreets, and has for its object to simplify the same, reduce the cost,and increase the efficiency thereof.

It consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement ofthe parts of the machine, substantially as is hereinafter particularlydescribed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a topor plan view of myimproved street-` sweeping machine; Fig. 2, a side elevation thereof;Fig. 3, a central longitudinal sec-l tion in the line m of Fig. l; Fig.4E, an enlarged bottom view of the body of the machine, illustrating thearrangement of the hinged bottom plates; and Fig. 5, a sectional detail,on an enlarged scale, of thehin ged bot! tom doors and their supports. l

Similar letters indicate like parts in all of the figures.

In its general construction my improved v street-sweeping machineconsists of a body A,

adapted to receive the dirt and street-sweepings, provided with a hingedbottom to ad? mit of readily dumping'its contents, and wh1ch is mountedby means of a suitable frame upon a rear axle B, fitted with large hindwheels C C, and upon a front axle D, connected to the body by hangers EE,which permit the front wheels to turn, with the axle, 1n a completecircle in front of the body. The drivers seat F is mounted upon thehangers E E or upon the frontend of the body.

The hind wheels C C are made to serve as driving-Wheels for therevolving broom by means of a toothed ange G, formed or fitted upon theinner side of each Wheel concentric with its rim, and which is made toengage a pinion G on the corresponding end of the broom-shaft H."

In the foregoing particulars the machine does not differ, essentially,from street-sweepingmachines heretofore constructed.

The broom-shaft Il is mounted at the rear of the driving-Wheels,parallel with the axle, in bearings carried in boxes I-I, (see Fig. 2,)sliding vertically in brackets I I, which are pivoted to arms I I,extending rearwardly from the frame-work of the machine, ou either side,so that as the broom Wears away and the broom-shaft is consequent-lylowered the contact of the pinions G G on the shaft with the toothedflanges Gr G on the wheels may be maintained. rlhe brackets are swunginward, and the pinions G thus carried and held in proper engagementwith the driving-wheels G by means of lateral rods I2 I2, extendingforward, and whose outer ends are coupled to levers within reach of thedriver, said levers, when adj usted, being held by means of a rack andpawl in the customary manner. By throwing back the levers and attachedrods I2 I2 the broom may be thrown out of gear with the driving-wheelswhen not at work.

In the construction of the revolving broom I attach to the broom-shaftlfI, at regular intervals about its circumference intermediate thebristles J, which constitute the main. body thereof and are securedthereto in the usual manner, longitudinal strips K K of thick rubber orits equivale11t-such as heavy sole leather-stiff enough to resist abending strain thereon with considerable force and of such elasticity asthat they will, when released, spring back with great power to theirnormal position. These longitudinal strips are secured edgewise to thebroom-shaft, preferably in a curve from end to end whose convex sideshall lie toward the front of the machine, (See Fig. 1,) and each stripis of aA width slightly greater than the length of the bristles J of thebroom, so as to project somewhat beyondthem, as'shown in Fig. Aninclined apron L is fixed to extend from in front of the broom, near tothe ground, forward to and above the bottom of the body or box A of themachine, and a parallel covering-plate L' is fitted from above the topof the broom to the top of the box, the end openings between the apronand covering-plate being closed in by suitable side pieces forming anextension of the sides of the body. The top of the body IOO or box A iscovered and closed tight. by suitable hinged covers A A.

To carry the dirt on either side of the machine from in front of thewheels inwardly between them within reach of the revolving broom,lateral brooms M M, consisting of straight heads armed with bristles inthe customary manner, are severally attached to the rear axle, each bymeans of a coupling-rod N, extending from the inner end of the head ofthe broom to the axle at a point immediately behind the axle-box. Eachcouplingrod N is pivoted to the broom, and is also pivoted upon theaxle, so that the broom is free to rise and fall with the rod and toswing upon the end of it.

The outer end of each side broom M is coupled by a second rod P to awrist-pin P on the outer end of the hub of the wheel, so that the wheellin its revolution operates as a crank to produce a reciprocatingmovement of the outer end ofthe broom, causing it to swing in front ofthe wheel back and forth in the arc of a circle having the end of theinner coupling-bar N as its center, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. l.

The bottom of the body or box A, which receives the sweepings of themachine, is fitted with double doors R R, (see Figs. 3, 4, and 5,)hinged, respectively, the one at the front of the box to drop from themiddle thereof downward and the other to a cross-piece immediately inthe rear of the middle to drop from the rear end of the box downward, asshown by the dotted lines in Fig. 5. A low transverse partition S,triangular in cross-section and which is left hollow to inclose atransverse shaft S', Figs. l, 2, and 3, is formed across the middle ofthe bottom of the box and serves to deflect the dirt in each directionfrom the center to the two doors. These dumpingdoors are severallyupheld, when closed, by cross-bars T T, made to slide edgewise upon lsuitable ways formed to support them at each end thereof. These bars areattached at their U, Figs. 4 and 5, whose teeth engage pinions V V (seeFigs. l, 2, and 3) on the transverse shaft S,so that by rotating saidshaft by means of acrank applied to either end the cross-bars T T may bemoved from under the free edges of the doors toward and beyond thehinges, and thus allow them to drop open and thereby dump the contentsof the body or box A in a heap under the machine. When the dumpingisaccomplished, the doors may be closed again by reversing the crank, andthereby sliding the cross-bars T T back again under the doors, so as tolift them back into their closed position and uphold them when closed.

In the operation of the machine the revolving broom-shaft, actuated bythe hind-wheels, carries the outer edge of the curved elastic strips K Kinto contact with the ground,and

these,`by reason of their radial width, will drag upon and over theground while in contact therewith, as shown in Fig. 3. So soon, however,as in the revolution of the broom they reach a point of release theirelasticity, by causing them to straighten out with a quick forciblemovement, will operate to throw the dirt collected in front thereof upthe inclined plane formed by the apron L into the body or box A. Thisaction of the elastic sweeping-strips K K is supplemented by theintervening bristles J, which serve to collect and sweep up the finerparticles.

The escape of dust from the sweeping apparatus is prevented by theinclosure of the broom and apron in manner as described.

The dirt on either sideof the machine is swept into place to be'gatheredup by the revolving broom, as the machine advances, by the reciprocatingswinging movement of the side brooms M M, produced by their attachmentand connection, as described, to the hind wheels.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination of a rotary cylindrical broomhaving a body of radial bristles and a series of continuous elasticstrips disposed longitudinally and radially upon the broomshaft inlongitudinally-curved lines and having a radial width greater than thelength of said bristles, and means for rotating said broom,substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, in a street-sweeping machine, with its hind wheels,a revolving broom mounted back of said wheels, and a lateral broomplaced in front of each wheel, of a coupling-rod pivoted to the axleinside of the hind wheel and `to the inner end ofthe broom, and a secondcoupling-rod pivoted to `a'wrist-pin on the hub of said wheel and totheouter end of the broom, substantially in the manner and for thepurpose herein set forth.

3. The combination, in a street -sweeping machine, with thedirt-receptacle mounted thereon, of the hinged bottom doors for thereceptacle made to open both in .the same direction upon transversepivotal axes, crossbars adapted to slide from under the free edge ofeach door toward and beyond its hinges, longitudinally-sliding rackssecured to each bar at a right angle therewith, acrank- 'shaft mountedparallel with said bars, and pinions iixed on said shaft to engage saidracks, substantially in the mann-er and for the purpose herein setforth.

In testimony whereof .I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of twoY subscribing witnesses.

JOI-IN MACKEY.

Witnesses:

A. N. JESBERA, E. M. WATSON.

TOO

IIO

